[15. Columbus discovers two very large islands; his vessel is wrecked, and he returns to Spain in another.]—In the course of the next six weeks Columbus discovered the island of Cuba. At first he thought that it must be Japan, but afterward he came to the conclusion that it was not an island at all, but part of the mainland of Asia.
Next, he came to the island of Hayti,[15] or San Domingo.[16] Here his ship was wrecked. He took the timber of the wreck and built a fort on the shore. Leaving about forty of his crew in this fort, Columbus set sail for Palos in one of the two remaining vessels.
15 Hayti (Ha'ti).
16 San Domingo (San Do-min'go); see map in paragraph [17].
[16. Columbus arrives at Palos; joy of the people; how Ferdinand and Isabella received him.]—When the vessel of Columbus was seen entering the harbor of Palos, the whole village was wild with excitement. More than seven months had gone by since he sailed away from that port, and as nothing had been heard from him, many supposed that the vessels and all on board were lost. Now that they saw their friends and neighbors coming back, all was joy. The bells of the churches rang a merry peal of welcome; the people thronged the streets, shouting to each other that Columbus, the great navigator, had crossed the "Sea of Darkness" and had returned in safety.
| COLUMBUS RECEIVED BY THE KING AND QUEEN OF SPAIN. |
The king and queen were then in the city of Barcelona,[17] a long distance from Palos. To that city Columbus now went. He entered it on horseback, attended by the proudest and richest noblemen of Spain. He brought with him six Indians from the West Indies. They were gaily painted and wore bright feathers in their hair. Then a number of men followed, carrying rare birds and plants, with gold and silver ornaments, all found in the New World. These were presents for the king and queen. Ferdinand and Isabella received Columbus with great honor. When he had told them the story of his wonderful voyage, they sank on their knees and gave praise to God; all who were present followed their example.
17 Barcelona (Bar-se-lo'na); see map in paragraph [12].
[17. The last voyages of Columbus.]—Columbus made three more voyages across the Atlantic. He discovered more islands near the coast of America, and he touched the coast of Central America and of South America, but that was all. He never set foot on any part of what is now the United States, and he always thought that the land he had reached was part of Asia. He had found a new world, but he did not know it: all that he knew was how to get to it and how to show others the way.
| The light parts of this map show how much of America Columbus discovered. (The long island is Cuba; the large one to the right is San Domingo.) |